with the big city ﬂair, Hudson. Whether you are
already a resident, a repeat visitor or experiencing
our community for the ﬁrst time, we hope your
experience is a welcoming one. Much has changed
since the Fall edition of Destination Hudson. A new
hotel is in development on upper Warren Street and
the arts and restaurant scene continues to expand
in Hudson and beyond. The warmer weather brings
the city’s waterfront alive with festivals, river cruises,
and concerts. New York State’s rich ﬁreﬁghting
history is on display at the FASNY Museum of
Fireﬁghting, and many historical sites throughout
the county reopen with new exhibitions and
programs for all ages. Just about any night of the
week Hudson oﬀers a multitude of entertainment
options. Summer Metropolitan opera, gallery
openings, theater and music, music, music join
summer stock, cabaret and dance in other parts of
the county to provide a varied and inspired cultural
scene. Zip lines replace skis at the Catamount
Adventure Park, and our campgrounds welcome
those who love sitting around a campﬁre or catching
lightening bugs in the twilight. And just in case a
relaxing weekend in the country is the order of the
day, Hudson and the county’s charming B&B’s,
hotels and country inns make Columbia County
a perfect weekend getaway destination. Come and
stay or play and experience hospitality the Columbia
County way. For a complete listing of what to do,
see, where to stay or dine in Hudson or countywide,
check out the Columbia County Tourism website:
wwwcolumbiacountytourism.org.
~Ann Cooper, Columbia County Tourism

When one asks musician and writer Peter Aaron about
music and its role in his life, his eyes look deeply inward and you
get the sense that his surroundings have faded into the periphery.
He speaks of music as a solace, as a language and a uniﬁer. As an
artist, he looks at the medium as a tool; like a true rock and roller,
he uses the tool for provocation.
Coming of age in the era after the Beatles and the Rolling
Stones, music had been a casual experience for Aaron, and not
something he felt wholly connected to. That is, until Punk music
entered the scene and enlightened him to those provocative powers
of music. “I was an outsider; a bookish nerd,” Aaron admits. “I
wanted to be diﬀerent than my peers. And Punk was outside and
the people doing this music felt like me.”
The connection was immediate and visceral. Timed with a move
during his senior year from Northern New Jersey to Cincinnati,
Ohio, music also provided Aaron with a sense of identity during
transition. “Moving to Cincinnati from Morris County in New
Jersey, at the age where I was just beginning to be able to take the
bus to New York City, was a real culture shock,” Aaron says.
Suddenly, with music less accessible, it meant more than
ever. Being in New York, he says, made it easy to take music for
granted. Once in Ohio, he became more thankful for the music
that came through the small, but tight-knit community.

Punk encouraged me to be
open-minded and embrace art
and ideas that might, at ﬁrst, be
challenging...It helped make me a more
adventurous listener and thinker.
“Within a year I began meeting people in the Punk scene,”
he says. “We began trading fanzines, tapes and ﬂyers. I remember
we used to think nothing of driving three hours to see a show in
a church basement. You hear about that stuﬀ all of the time now;
it’s commonplace. But it meant more to do stuﬀ like that when
you strove to encounter music and spend time with it.”
The striving and exchange of that era gave rise to his own
fanzine, Suburban Muckraker, for which he would interview local
bands and review records. It also served as a lens for Aaron to
begin to view music from a larger perspective. Though Punk
was an immediate and vital form of self-expression that Aaron
connected to, the history buﬀ in him was also beginning to see it
as a device through which many diﬃcult artistic and ideological
constructs could be viewed.

Go out to hear as
much music as you can
and don’t be afraid of
something that seems
really foreign at ﬁrst.
Some of my favorite
music is stuﬀ I didn’t get
at ﬁrst; it took a while
to seep in.
Aaron rocks as part of the Chrome Cranks at the Cake Shop in New York City. Photo by Keith Marlowe.

“Punk encouraged me to be open-minded and embrace art
and ideas that might, at ﬁrst, be challenging,” says Aaron. “It
helped make me a more adventurous listener and thinker.” With
challenge as a deﬁning element of his underground Punk and Rock
experience, Aaron was also encouraged to investigate the roots of
the genres. This lead him to explore jazz, and the experimental,
improvisational works of greats like John Coltrane.
“I kind of got into jazz through punk and underground rock
bands that had jazz in elements of what they were doing,” he says.
“So I learned about what musicians like Coltrane did, and picked
up a lot of what they were tapping into in terms of music being
challenging to the self and the listener.”
In both his music and his writing, Aaron hopes to encourage
listeners to allow themselves to be challenged. “Go out to hear
as much music as you can and don’t be afraid of something that
seems really foreign at ﬁrst,” he says. “Some of my favorite music
is stuﬀ I didn’t get at ﬁrst; it took a while to seep in.” While he
admits that understanding that kind of language of music can be
an initial hurdle for many listeners, the rewards are great. “They
tap into parts of their own personality and abilities as creative
thinkers,” he says.
With this as a guiding principal, Aaron is also focused
on opening himself up to new horizons as a musician. He has
recently teamed up with Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ drummer Brian Chase
to form, what he calls, a “full on improv noise duo,” and likens it
to playing without a net.
In his punk-styled blues band, the Chrome Cranks, which
was originally formed in Cincinnati, in 1988, Aaron says that
had always been a very strong deﬁning vision and concept; but
he also constantly sought out ways to bring in new inﬂuences
and interesting challenges. “You have to open yourself up to new
experiences,” he says. “That’s how this thing with Brian [Chase]
happened. We played in other improv things; it felt like things
were clicking, he was a fan of Chrome Cranks and we bonded
in that way.” With a record under their belt, the duo are now
shopping it out to labels.

Aaron has also recently begun another related venture: a
monthly rock and roll party called Smash Crash Bash at The
Half Moon in Hudson. “I started that because it seemed like that
[musical] element was lacking, especially in Hudson,” he says.
“There’s this amazing avant-garde experimental scene and great
folk and roots music, but no kind of loud rock and roll.” That lack,
he says, was like a piece of the puzzle that he felt was sorely missing.
“We live in this post-ironic time and there’re all these younger folks
that think if you’re going to play rock and roll you don’t have to go
all out,” he muses. “No! You really do have to rock.”
Contrary to that pervasive culture, Aaron believes that there’s
room for rock music to be visceral.“There’s a set of emotions that’s
not being addressed, and lot of people haven’t experienced it,” he
says; Smash Crash Bash is providing that by bringing punk, rock
and roll and glam rock bands up from New York City.
Though the loud rock and roll scene may be ﬂedgling in the
Hudson Valley, Aaron is the ﬁrst to credit the area with a rich
and diverse musical heritage. Having been the Music Editor of
Chronogram for the past eight years, he has had the opportunity
to proﬁle and mythologize a diverse group of musicians in the
area, ranging from Pete Seeger and Natalie Merchant to Carla
Bley and Sonny Rollins.
From that abundant archive Aaron has tasked himself to
compile his writing and put it into book form. “We have a diverse
group of artists in the area,” he says. “I think, taken together, it
makes an incredible statement of the quality of musicians in the
area. One of my favorite stories was of a local Elvis impersonator.
So to take the 25 most interesting pieces I’ve written, and put
them together in book form would be really cool.”
When ﬁnished, the book would also oﬀer greater insight into
Aaron’s philosophies on where music and writing intersect to make
great, if sometimes provocative, art and the rewards therein.
Jen Kiaba is a photographer and writer based in Rhinebeck, NY. Her photography has
been published internationally in magazines and on book covers. To see more of her
work, visit http://www.jenkiabaphotography.com

Athens Cultural Center
24 Second St., Athens, NY 12015
Through May 3: “ACC Second Street Show:
11th Annual Member Exhibition,” featuring work
by talented established and emerging regional
artists shown in a salon-style exhibit.
May 10-June 5: “Comfort|Chaos.” The show
is organized to exhibit mature works coupled
with artifacts that document their production
- be it through drawings, photographs, or
any other media that adequately portrays the
constructive phases.The aim of the show is to
demystify the process of art-making. Jurors:
Sheila Goloborotko and Jill Parisi.
Gallery Hours: Fri.-Sun., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Information: 518.945.2136;
http://www.athensculturalcenter.org

Bridge Street Theater &
404 Main St.
Village of Catskill, NY 12414
Through April: “Aviary Reimagined,” artist
Jason Hackenworth’s large scale installation
made of more than 6,000 balloons, and
measuring 35 feet tall by 29 feet in diameter.
Originally suspended in the rotunda of the
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum on the
occasion of the “Works and Process 30th
Anniversary Gala,” Hackenworth’s “Aviary” will
travel upstate to be reimagined and installed
throughout the Village of Catskill. View the
works at Bridge Street Theater and 404 Main
St., with additional venues to be announced.
Information: http://www.greenearts.org/
aviary-reimagined

ArtSpace
71 Palatine Park Rd., No. 7, Germantown, NY 12526
May 24-June 15: Solo show of work by resident artist Dawn Breeze who works with a wide variety of
mediums and materials, imaginatively using unusual natural and found objects. She describes herself as
a “process artist,” noting that her “approach to the work is intuitive in nature; I collaborate with chance,
accidents and impermanence.” She is a member of the Columbia County Council on the Arts and has
received numerous awards including international recognition and local gallery exhibits. This is the ﬁrst
show inaugurating ArtSpace in its new location.
Reception: Saturday, May 24, 5-7 p.m. Hours: Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m.;
Sun., 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Information: artspace@gtel.net

Artist Dawn Breeze with her work. Photo submitted

5 p.m. Information: 518.828.1915;
http://www.carriehaddadgallery.com

Charles B. Beneson
Visitors Center Gallery
Omi International Arts Center, 1405 County
Route 22, Ghent, NY 12075
Through May 31: “Jim Torok: Drawings,”
an exhibition of new works. Torok’s work
is a study in contradictions. According to
Pierogi Gallery, which has represented him for
several years, Torok is known for his “photo

realistic, miniature portraits and his narrative
storyboard, cartoon-like paintings, both
based on acute observation. His portraits are
generally of ordinary people he knows - artists,
friends, neighbors - and depict the everyday
rather than celebrity status. They are small
studies of fact and plainness. His cartoon works
are simultaneously hilarious and sobering,
innocently optimistic and cynical, because they
state so plainly what is known but most often
left unsaid.”
May 23-30: “More Than Able.” The men and
women of COARC, a local organization which

The Chatham Book Store
27 Main St., Chatham, NY 12037
Through April 27: “Pathways & Waterways,”
large-scale charcoal drawings by local artist Gail
Giles. This series of large charcoal drawings,
were done on-site from the Hudson River’s
edge, as well as in the studio.
Information: 518.392.3005;
http://www.chathambookstore.com

Coachman’s House Gallery
Olana, 5720 Route 9G, Hudson, NY 12534
June 28-November 2: “Preserving Creative
Spaces: Photographs from The Historic
Artists’ Homes and Studios Program.” This
documentary installation shines light on the
Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios (HAHS)
program of the National Trust for Historic
Preservation. HAHS is a consortium of
institutions across the United States committed
to the conservation, interpretation, and public
accessibility of artists’ homes and workspaces.
This exhibition features information about the
consortium and documentary photographs
and personal artists’ quotes from its nearly 40
member sites, including an image of Frederic
Church and his son on a camel in Beirut
(1868), the trip which inspired the Persianstyle house and studio the painter would
later build at Olana. In addition to educating
audiences about HAHS, the exhibition will
place Olana and Church’s studio in a larger
discussion about the importance of preserving
historically signiﬁcant places and structures as
part of the nation’s cultural heritage.
Tickets: $6; $5 seniors/students with I.D.
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Information: 518.828.1872;
http://www.olana.org

Columbia County Council on the
Arts Gallery
209 Warren St., Hudson, NY 12534
Through May 16: “Not Necessarily Black &
White: CCCA Photography Show,” featuring
works by local and regional artists. Juried
by Ken Bovat, Jr., master photographer and
craftsman.
May 24-July 12: “Streets of Hudson,” artists’
depictions of their favorite views of the streets
of Hudson - its architecture, streets, and special

Evelyn and Maurice Sharp Gallery
Olana, 5720 Route 9G, Hudson, NY 12534
May 11-November 2: All the Raj: Frederic Church and Lockwood de Forest, Painting, Decorating and
Collecting at Olana, an exhibition featuring oil sketches and decorative arts by landscape painter and
19th century tastemaker Lockwood de Forest. Lockwood de Forest (1850-1932) studied painting
with his great-uncle the eminent landscape artist Frederic Church in the 1870s; the exhibition will
begin by highlighting sketches showing that the two artists worked side by side at Olana. At that
time, Church was busy designing and building the main house, and the young de Forest watched
Church draw inspiration from books on Persian and other exotic architecture. In the 1880s de
Forest traveled to India to start a decorating business providing beautiful Indian and Kashmiri
decorative objects to an American audience. De Forest provided Church with carved teak for
ﬁreplace mantels, exquisite painted furniture from Kashmir, expertly engraved brass trays, and a
variety of other lavish Indian objects. Tickets: $6; $5 seniors/students with I.D.
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Information: 518.828.1872; http://www.olana.org
Photo: Detail of the East Parlor in the main house at Olana, with carved teak mantel and hand painted Kashmiri chair provided by de
Forest and a carved Indian table collected by Church. Photo by Carri Manchester.

Hudson Opera House
327 Warren St., Hudson, NY 12534
Through May 11: “R.O. Blechman,” works by
this modern master of all things visual whose
timeless intellect and stripped-down artistry
propels his nonstop relevancy. In his polished
and unparalleled career, he has been heralded as
one of the great cartoonists, the author of one
of the ﬁrst modern graphic novels, an Emmy
and Cannes Film Festival award-winning
animator with a retrospective at the Museum
of Modern Art, a Hall of Fame art director, and
even a blogger for The Huﬃngton Post. He is

Hudson

Spring 2014

also a beloved Hudson Valley resident.
May 24-June 22: “Muse Ascending a Staircase,”
a series of vignettes focusing on ten characters
from artist John Kelly’s repertoire. The work
pays homage to Marcel Duchamp’s Nude
Descending a Staircase, the painting that caused
a scandal at the 1913 Armory Show at New
York’s 69th Regiment Armory.
Reception: Saturday, May 24, 5-7 p.m.
Hours: Mon.-Sun., noon-5 p.m.
Information: 518.822.1438;
http://www.hudsonoperahouse.org

John Davis Gallery
362 ½ Warren St., Hudson, NY 12534
Through April 20: Solo exhibition of sculpture
and etchings by Stephen Reynolds.
April 24-May 18: Solo exhibition of paintings
by Yura Adams. This group of recent oil
paintings shows a new development in Adams’
painting that is looser, and more concerned with
the spontaneity of paint.
Reception: Saturday, April 26, 6-8 p.m.
Hours: Thurs.-Mon., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. + by appt.
Information: 518.828.5907;
http://johndavisgallery.com

Thomas Cole Historic Site
218 Spring St., Catskill, NY 12414
April 30-November 2: Master, Mentor, Master:
Thomas Cole & Frederick Church, the ﬁrst
exhibition to explore one of the most inﬂuential
teacher-student relationships in the history of
American art – that between the founder of the
Hudson River School of painting, Thomas Cole
(1801-1848) and his most celebrated student
and successor, Frederic Church (1826-1900).
Hours: Wed.-Sun., 1-6 p.m.
Information: 518.943.7465;
http://www.thomascole.org

Valley Variety
Warren St., Hudson, NY 12534
Through June 1: Solo show of recent work by
Hudson-based artist Jen P. Harris. She describes
her recent work as a combining of symbols,
primary organic forms, mundane objects and
ﬁgurative elements to reﬂect on ideas about the
interpretation of individual and world. The work
in the show is primarily water-based ink on paper.
Hours: Sat. & Sun., noon-6 p.m.
Information: 518.205.8387;
http://www.retrospectivegallery.com

Columbia County
Photography Club
Hudson Area Library, 400 State St., Hudson,
NY 12534
2nd & 4th Tuesday of each month, 6-8 p.m.:
Photographers of all ages and skill levels are
welcome to join. Share tips and techniques
and support one another in photographic
endeavors. Information: 518.828.5887;
http://hudsonarealibrary.org;
abit@mhcable.com

Hip Hop Dance
Hudson Opera House, 327 Warren St.,
Hudson, NY 12534
Wednesdays through June 11, 5:15-6:15 p.m.:
A hip hop dance workshop taught by Anthony
Molina in collaboration with Operation Unite.
For ages 6 and up. An emerging artist, Molina’s
credits include 106 & Park, Bad Boys Comedy
Show, Senior Hip Hop Arnold Classic and more.
He was a semi-ﬁnalist on So You Think You Can
Dance, and has performed with Vanaver Caravan
and is a seasoned Choreographer and dancer of
Energy Dance Company in Kingston. Free!
Information: http://hudsonoperahouse.org

Saturday Children’s Workshops
Omi International Arts Center, 1405 County
Route 22, Ghent, NY 12075
Saturdays through June 7, 10 a.m.-noon:
These workshops oﬀer studio experiences for
children ages 4.5-12. Themes and activities are
connected with the artists, artworks and ideas
featured in the current exhibition in The Fields
Sculpture Park. Workshops begin with an
adventure in The Fields focusing on artworks
pertinent to a weekly theme.
Tickets: $12/child; or two for $20
Information: 518.392.4747;
http://www.artomi.org

April
Thursday, April 17
Make Your Garden Grow!
Hudson Area Library, 400 State St., Hudson,
NY 12534
noon-5 p.m.: The Kids First Initiative, the
Hudson Community Garden, and the HCSD
Enrichment Initiative have collaborated for
this exciting program. Plant basil, parsley,
lavender, mint, calendula, marigold, lemon
balm and kale seeds using paper towel tubes
and organic soil. Information will be provided
on how to care for your plants at home
and ideas for using your herbs, ﬂowers and
vegetables in recipes and teas.
Information: 518.828.5887;
http://hudsonarealibrary.org

Third Thursday Bard Math Circle
Germantown Library, Hover Room, 31
Palatine Park Rd., Germantown, NY 12526
4-6 p.m.: The Bard Math Circle, organized
by students and faculty at Bard College, is a
mathematical enrichment program geared
toward middle school and elementary students.
Each month features puzzles and games,
challenging problems, and a hands-on project
that students can take home. The Bard Math
Circle oﬀers a gentle math environment where
students can explore hands-on math without
time pressure. The aim is to help students
strengthen their critical thinking skills and
make math more fun. The program is geared
toward students in grades 5-8, but all are
welcome. Meets on the Third Thursday of each
month. Information: 518.537.5800;
http://germantownlibrary.org

The Dirty Dozen: An Introduction
to Bad Weeds, Part I
Columbia Land Conservancy Oﬃce, 49 Main
St., Chatham, NY 12037
5:30 p.m.: Find out why we should care about
non-native invasive plants as well as how they
can damage property and natural areas. Jessica
Toro, co-owner of Native Habitat Restoration,
talks about how to identify these species and
start addressing them in your yard, garden,
or forest. Jessica will also describe diﬀerent
options for landowners to control invasives
on their land and potential funding resources.
The presentation is the ﬁrst part of a two – day
event, followed on May 3rd with a hands-on
program learning about non-native species in
the ﬁeld. Information: http://clctrust.org

The Mountain Goats
Club Helsinki Hudson, 405 Columbia St.,
Hudson, NY 12534
8 p.m.: The Mountain Goats, the band
moniker under which indie folk-rock singersongwriter John Darnielle performs, will treat
the Club Helsinki audience to one of his
legendary, intimate solo performances.
Tickets: $25
Information: 518.828.4800;
http://www.helsinkihudson.com

Thurs.-Sun., April 17-20
Film: The Galapagos Affair: Satan
Came to Eden
Time and Space Limited, 434 Columbia St.,
Hudson, NY 12534
Thurs.-Sat., 5:30 p.m.; Sun., 1 p.m.: Reporter
Darwin meets Hitchcock in this true-crime tale
of paradise found and lost. The Galapagos Aﬀair
is a fascinating documentary portrait of a 1930s
murder mystery as strange and alluring as the

Film: Particle Fever
Time and Space Limited, 434 Columbia St.,
Hudson, NY 12534
7:50 p.m.; 7:50 p.m.; 7:45 p.m. & 3:15 p.m.:
Particle Fever follows six brilliant scientists
during the launch of the Large Hadron
Collider, marking the start-up of the biggest
and most expensive experiment in the history
of the planet. As they seek to unravel the
mysteries of the universe, 10,000 scientists
from over 100 countries joined forces in pursuit
of a single goal: to recreate conditions that
existed just moments after the Big Bang and to
ﬁnd the Higgs boson, potentially explaining the
origin of all matter. But our heroes confront an
even bigger challenge: have we reached our limit
in understanding why we exist?
Tickets: $8; $6 members & students
Information: http://timeandspace.org

Friday, April 18
Hear a Poem, Draw a Picture!
Hudson Area Library, 400 State St., Hudson,
NY 12534
noon-3 p.m.: Kids will listen to poems and
use their imaginations to draw pictures of
what’s happening in the poems.
Information: 518.828.5887;
http://hudsonarealibrary.org

Ben Taylor
Club Helsinki Hudson, 405 Columbia St.,
Hudson, NY 12534
9 p.m.: Fresh from a tour of Northern Europe
and the United Kingdom, folk-singer singersongwriter Ben Taylor performs a new batch of
songs, slated for a new album tentatively titled
Clouds In The Dirt and due to be released in
May 2014. Tickets: $15
Information: 518.828.4800;
http://www.helsinkihudson.com

Saturday, April 19
Big Read: Guided Nature Walk
KEEP Conservation Preserve, County Rte. 8 @
Orr Rd., Germantown, NY 12526
9 a.m.-noon: In celebration of the
Germantown Library’s participation in Bard’s
Big Read and Marilynne Robinson’s novel
“Housekeeping,” take a guided walk at the
KEEP Preserve to ponder the book’s themes
of nature and place. Linda Atkins of KEEP
Conservation and Claudia Knab-Vispo from
the Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology
Program will teach participants about the
various plants and animals that inhabit

Film: Ilya & Emily Kabakov:
Enter Here
Time and Space Limited, 434 Columbia St.,
Hudson, NY 12534
1 p.m.: A documentary by Amei Wallach
in cooperation with the State Hermitage
Museum. Enter Here is a double portrait in ﬁlm
of the lives and work of Russia’s most celebrated
international artists, now American citizens, as
they come to terms with their global lives and
the new Russia.
Tickets: $8; $6 members & students
Information: http://timeandspace.org

Film: Nostalghia
Time and Space Limited, 434 Columbia St.,
Hudson, NY 12534
3 p.m.: Andrei Tarkovsky’s masterpiece, is a
darkly poetic vision of exile. It was the ﬁrst of
his features to be made outside of Russia, the
home to which he would never return. Tarkovsky
explained that in Russian the word “nostalghia”
conveys “the love for your homeland and the
melancholy that arises from being far away.”
Tickets: $8; $6 members & students
Information: http://timeandspace.org

Spottiswoode & His Enemies
Club Helsinki Hudson, 405 Columbia St.,
Hudson, NY 12534
9 p.m.: Referred to as a genius and a downtown

continued on page 27 g

Destination

Hudson

Spring 2014

20

Hudson’s teen theater project is bringing kids – and the community – together

by Brian PJ Cronin
When Sarah Schaeﬀer was twelve years old, she decided to
walk into the building across the street from where she lived and
see what was inside. She stumbled upon another world.
The building was the Hudson Opera House, and Sarah
happened to wander into a rehearsal for the Hudson Teen Theater
Project, led by Carol Rusoﬀ. Sarah had never done theater before.
Suddenly, she was doing improv.
“I was terriﬁed,” she recalled. “I didn’t know what I was doing.
But I was curious enough to try it. Carol has a very interesting
presence and a way of making the room feel very comfortable. I
decided to just go with it and see where it went.”
Now Sarah is fresh oﬀ a west coast tour of a one-woman
adaptation of “The Diary of Anne Frank” that she developed
with Rusoﬀ. The show was Rusoﬀ ’s idea. “She told me I should
work on a solo project because I could make a career out of this,”
Schaeﬀer said.
Believing in curious kids like Sarah is what Carol Rusoﬀ has
been doing with the Hudson Teen Theater Project for 12 years
now. Rusoﬀ is a veteran of countless youth theater projects who
moved up to the Hudson area in 2002 to relax and enjoy the
leisurely pace of country life upstate.
It didn’t last. “I discovered that I couldn’t just stir soup and
garden all day, even though those are very nice things to do,” she
said. “I needed to keep on working.”

She gives us a lot of responsibility
and trusts us completely about
what we’re going to do. That’s very
unusual for our age group, for adults
to come and say ‘Edit this, adapt
that, see what happens.’ She gives
us the freedom to play.
And so, just like Sarah Schaﬀer would a few years later, she
wandered into the Hudson Opera House. Inside, she ran into the
Opera House’s director Gary Schiro and oﬀered to start a theater
program for kids. She wouldn’t need props or costumes. The kids
would use their imagination.
“Usually, when you walk into a big institution like that and ask
‘Can I do something here?’ it’s not so easy,” Rusoﬀ recalled, clearly
speaking from experience. “But Gary was completely accessible and
welcoming. It felt like he was a fellow artist. And he said yes.”
Joe Herwick, the Opera House’s Deputy Director, said that
Rusoﬀ ’s vision ﬁt right in with the Opera House’s mission of
serving the community of Hudson by providing a wide variety of
cultural and educational events. “We always wanted to oﬀer youth
programming that was free and open to the whole community,”

21

Columbia-Greene Media

he said. And getting the whole of Hudson’s socioeconomically
diverse population involved was vitally important to Rusoﬀ,
who wanted to reach out beyond the shops and attractions
of Warren Street. “I noticed on the other streets that there
were a lot of kids who fell through the cracks,” she said. “I was
interested in those kids.”
They secured funding from grants and generous donors. They
put a ﬂag out front that said “Welcome!” And, sure enough, kids
wandered in. “We started doing some really good theater work
right away with kids who wanted to be involved in something,”
Rusoﬀ said.
What began as a few improv classes grew into a traveling road
show. Carol and the kids developed their own adaptations of
myths and legends and put on free assemblies at elementary
and junior high schools. “Because of budget cuts, many of
these schools don’t do assemblies anymore because they don’t
have the money,” Rusoﬀ said. “So we go out there for free, do
interactive theater with the kids based on legends and folktales
and then tell the kids that they can go and read the stories that
they’re based on.”
Rusoﬀ lets the teens adapt the folktales and legends themselves.
She’ll start them oﬀ with a few key questions - Is the story funny?
Is it sad? - and then steps back. “She gives us a lot of responsibility
and trusts us completely about what we’re going to do,” Schaeﬀer
said. “That’s very unusual for our age group, for adults to come
and say ‘Edit this, adapt that, see what happens.’ She gives us the
freedom to play.”
The Hudson Teen Theater Project currently runs an improv
program every Fall and a mainstage production in the Spring.
This Spring, they’re taking on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night – a
ﬁtting choice for the program’s twelfth year. It’s not the ﬁrst time
they’ve done Shakespeare; they mounted a production of A
Midsummer Night’s Dream a few years ago. Teaching kids how to
perform Shakespeare might seem like a daunting task, but not for
Rusoﬀ. “You teach Shakespeare on your feet,” she said. “You lift it
oﬀ the page.”
“It’s deﬁnitely a unique approach,” says Schaeﬀer. “Carol makes
Shakespeare very accessible, makes us understand it and gives us
conﬁdence in the words we’re saying. That’s hard to do with 13,
14, 15 year olds; getting us to understand Shakespeare as well as
we did. She really makes magic with it.”

I want kids to come who are just
curious...I want them to come if they
think they might be, you know, they
fancy themselves something secret.
I want them to bring their private,
secret selves.
Anyone interested in joining the Hudson Teen Theater Project’s
production of Twelfth Night is encouraged to attend one of two
information sessions on either Monday, May 12th, or Tuesday
May 13th, at 4 p.m., at The Hudson Opera House, 327 Warren
Street. The show will rehearse throughout May and June and
culminate in free performances from June 26th - 28th at Basilica
Hudson, 110 South Front Street. Herwick said that in addition to

These kids are from disparate
backgrounds, different ethnicities,
...kids who wouldn’t necessarily mix it
up...For them to become an ensemble
is terrific, because...the first thing
they need to do is learn how to trust
each other. And even though they
don’t know each other, they learn
how to trust and depend on each
other. That’s very Hudson.
actors, the program always needs stage managers, crew members,
and designers so there are lots of ways to get involved.
And as Schaeﬀer can attest: No prior experience is necessary.
“All you need to bring to this program is courage, curiosity and
comfortable clothes,” Rusoﬀ said. “I want kids to come who are
just curious, and not already actors or designers, or acrobats or
singers or dancers. I want them to come if they think they might
be, you know, they fancy themselves something secret. I want
them to bring their private, secret selves.”
Although the performances are always packed - Herwick
estimated there were 300 people in the audience for the ﬁnal
performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream - everyone agrees that
the program’s biggest success is in consistently bringing the very
diverse populations of Hudson together onstage as well as oﬀ it.
“These kids are from disparate backgrounds, diﬀerent ethnicities,
these are kids who wouldn’t necessarily mix it up,” Rusoﬀ said. “For
them to become an ensemble is terriﬁc, because in order for them
to become an ensemble the ﬁrst thing they need to do is learn how
to trust each other. And even though they don’t know each other,
they learn how to trust and depend on each other.”
“That’s very Hudson.”
Brian PJ Cronin is a freelance writer in Beacon, NY. You can ﬁnd him online at
brianpjcronin.com and on Twitter as @brianpjcronin.

Destination

Hudson

Spring 2014

22

not just

for the

story and photos by Ashley Drewes

upper crust

It’s a rainy Sunday morning,
around 11 a.m., and Bonﬁglio &
Bread’s (B&B) tiny store front at 748
Warren Street is ﬁlling up quickly
with customers. The three-year-old
bakery (for the ﬁrst two years it was
known as Loaf ) has quickly built
a loyal customer base among locals
who know B&B as the place for bread
in Hudson. However, on this dreary
Sunday morning, many patrons are
ordering hot breakfast as well.
It’s a wonder anyone can ﬁnd this hole-in-the-wall joint. The
small signs in the window that bare the company’s information are
obscured by cars parked on the street.
Once inside, the same minimalism pervades. There are two
small tables, and a row of mismatched bar stools that wrap around
the front window. The decor is simple Americana: wooden folkart, mostly depictions of farm animals. The ceiling is unpainted tin,
and the ﬂoor is a traditional black-and-white checkerboard. The
Platters softly croon Only You, from the radio.
Chalkboard menus are hand-written, as are signs around the
self-serve coﬀee station. There are a few loaves of bread on shelves
behind the counter, quixotically staged alongside large hardcover

Bonﬁglio & Bread’s storefront at 748 Warren Street in Hudson.

books. (Are these loaves for sale? Or
just decoration?) A small case on the
counter showcases various cookies
and pastries – but there is nothing
iced, frosted, or presented in any
other color than golden brown.
There are no frills here. There are
seats and there is food.
I try to order one of everything,
but the counter person informs me
The self-serve coﬀee service.
that the lunch menu isn’t available
until noon. I choose the egg with polenta and a toasted, buttered
croissant. For dessert, a crumini cornbread biscotti.
The croissant is over-sized, dark and crusty on the outside.
The layers of pastry have soaked up most of the generously-applied
butter, and the whole thing melts in my mouth before sliding down
my throat like warm velvet. I’m in heaven. How can such a simple
thing be so complex, and so good?
The egg comes over-medium, atop a square of polenta, with
a pool of bright-tasting marinara sauce underneath. Something in
this dish is peppery, and the whole thing is comforting. Greens are
served in the same dish, dressed with shaved parmesan. They are
dark, sweet and a little bitter. The lettuce for sure must be from a
local farm, or the backyard – it’s just too rich.

This place doesn’t have any glitz,
and it doesn’t need any. It’s clear −
Bonﬁglio & Bread has grown quickly
thanks to a reputation for simple,
good food.
Dessert – the crumini cornbread biscotti – is a round, crooked
little cookie with a hole in it. Not the hard, sliced, and twice-baked
biscotti to which I’m accustomed. It tastes like a nutty sugar cookie,
with faint notes of corn.
This place doesn’t have any glitz, and it doesn’t need any. It’s
clear – Bonﬁglio & Bread has grown quickly thanks to a reputation
for simple, good food.
What’s their secret? According to co-owner Gabriele
Gulielmetti, 29, the recipe calls for fearless experimentation, quality
ingredients, hard work and a pinch of luck.
The beginning
Gulielmetti aﬀectionately says that his partner (in life and
in business), Rachel Sanzone, 30, is the real mastermind behind
Bonﬁglio & Bread.
Both Gulielmetti and Sanzone are self-taught bakers.
Gulielmetti says that they both share an Italian heritage – and for
Italian families, bread is very important.
Sanzone started baking baguettes and ciabatta for area
merchants in spring 2010. She worked out of the couple’s house.
At the time, Hudson did not have a single bakery.
Before long, people started showing up at their house every day
at noon to buy bread, says Gulielmetti. The couple soon realized
they needed more room. They opened their ﬁrst retail space,
Loaf, later in 2010. They also converted their home kitchen into a
commercial kitchen, complete with pizza ovens, to meet demand.
In April 2011 they expanded again, taking over half of
the building that currently houses Swallow cafe (433 Warren).
Gulielmetti says that’s where they became known for sandwiches,
as well as bread.
In May 2012, the couple opened Bonﬁglio & Bread at its
current location. Nowadays, the space oﬀers enough room for
everything (including breakfast, lunch, pizza, breads, pastries, and
cookies) to be made on site. Gulielmetti estimates the bakery
serves 100-200 people every day.
Clean ingredients
“It’s not about pretension. It’s not about our egos,” says
Gulielmetti. “It’s about good, high-quality bread with good, highquality ingredients, at a price point that’s available to everyone.
Everyone should have bread.”
Those quality ingredients Gulielmetti is talking about include
organic oats, organic quinoa, organic wheat, local honey and cabot
butter. And salt is the only preservative the bakery ever uses.
The list of clean ingredients applies to made-to-order stuﬀ,
too. “You’ll never see the Sysco truck here. Ever.” Gulielmetti is
emphatic: “We don’t have tomatoes in winter, either. It’s all local.
We only outsource lemons, limes and avocados.”

An over-sized croissant.

Egg, over medium, atop a square of polenta, with marinara, greens & parmesan.

It’s not about pretension. It’s not
about our egos. It’s about good, high
quality bread with good, high quality
ingredients at a price point that’s
available to everyone. Everyone
should have bread.
In lieu of a major distributor, Gulielmetti and Sanzone work
with area farms for their milk, eggs, meat and greens. “Many people
travel for all the elements of their meal. We shop like that for our
ingredients,” says Gulielmetti.
The bakery motto is simple: “Wholesome, tasty, ﬁlling,” says
Gulielmetti, “[but] not preachy.”
Fearless experimentation
Another strength of Team B&B has been their brave and
creative approach to bread.
“We’re lucky not having CIA training, or bias, or technique,”
says Gulielmetti. “We just bake bread we like. We’re not constrained
to any type. We get to have some trial and error. Great things come
out of mistakes. It’s not so formulaic.”
A seemingly Buddhist approach has opened up a world of
learning for the couple. “We’ve been able to feel and understand
it as it happens instead of being told how it’s supposed to be,”
Gulielmetti says of bread, which is very temperamental.
continued on page 24 g

Destination
continued from page 23 i

“Unlike pastry, bread is a very intuitive process,” he explains.
“Today is a dry day. The bread’s going to take longer to proof. Bread
has yeast, which works oﬀ moisture and warmth. Some of the best
days to bake are when it’s rainy.”
This keen understanding of the science of bread has allowed
B&B to oﬀer breads that are more delicious – and more digestible.
“Our bread has a very long prooﬁng period,” says Gulielmetti.
“Depending on the bread, it takes 24-72 hours at a cold temperature.
It has very little yeast. The yeast lies dormant longer, and the sugar
breaks down slowly. A lot of people who say they have gluten
intolerance have been able to eat our bread because of how we
proof it, even with conventional yeast. It also develops the ﬂavor.”
Baking around the clock
Perhaps the most crucial factor in Gulielmetti and Sanzone’s
success is their kick-ass work ethic. Gulielmetti works the
overnight shift, four days a week. Sanzone works 12-hour days, ﬁve
days a week. Gulielmetti sheepishly admits that both have found
themselves working on so-called days oﬀ.
The couple have successfully instilled that same ethic in their
employees.
“It’s not easy and it’s around the clock,” says Gulielmetti. The
business currently has ten employees, with the ﬁrst morning baking
shift starting at 4 a.m.
“We hire locally and are willing to train. Most employees are
trained from scratch,” he says. Most of his staﬀ are hired young, too,
usually around ages 21-22.

SALE
ENDS:
03/26/14
SALE
ENDS:
6/20/14

Hudson

Spring 2014

24

Regardless of their youth or initial inexperience, Gulielmetti
says that B&B employees are exceptionally committed: “We try to
give [our employees] a sense of ownership and responsibility.”
A lucky home in Hudson
If you ask Gulielmetti how he got here, he’ll beam with
gratitude and say, “We just got lucky.”
He’s grateful that the community of Hudson has been so
supportive, and he ﬁnds it hard to imagine what the business would
have been like had it started someplace else. He says that B&B
would not have been possible in a place like New York City, at least
not without many investors.
He’s in awe of the growth of his business – like bread – steady
but sometimes unpredictable. “You don’t necessarily know anything
about living things. It needs to be coddled. [The business] is very
much like a baby – it has diﬀerent emotions every second.”
Gulielmetti sounds like a new dad – a ﬁtting analogy as he
and Sanzone have their own “bun in the oven.” They’re expecting
an addition to their bakery family later this year.
It is also ﬁtting, then, that Gulielmetti’s vision for Bonﬁglio &
Bread is so family-friendly: “It’s a place to get bread,” he says plainly.
“It’s a place to get simple but delicious food. A place where you can
satisfy a couple of cravings, and not break the bank. “
Ashley Drewes is a freelance writer, dance club bartender and former vintage clothing
store publicist living in Catskill. She reports on a variety of rural community happenings
for several publications, including the Saugerties Times and the Catskill Daily Mail. She
once worked at a bakery, where her favorite task was “product testing for quality control”
- usually croissants. You can tweet her @AshleyDrewes

Oil Change
Drain old oil and refill with the required amount of
quality motor oil.

ringleader by the New Yorker, Jonathan
Spottiswoode is the son of an American singer
and an English clergyman. With his deep,
gravelly voice, his quirky, acerbic songwriting,
and his eclectic musical palette, Jonathan
Spottiswoode should appeal to fans of Leonard
Cohen, Tom Waits, the National, Ray Davies,
Randy Newman and Nick Cave.
Tickets: $15; $18 door
Information: 518.828.4800;
http://www.helsinkihudson.com

Tuesday, April 22
Earth Day Volunteer and
PCA Blitz Day
All 10 Public Conservation Areas in Columbia
County
10 a.m.: Columbia Land Conservancy is hosting an Earth Day clean-up volunteer day followed by guided walks at all 10 of their Public
Conservation Areas (see website for details).
Bring lunch and work gloves.
Information: http://clctrust.org

Earth Day Recycled Art
Hudson Area Library, 400 State St., Hudson,
NY 12534
3-7 p.m.: Read stories about nature, make
collages of all the things you love about Earth
using recycled magazines, and create your own
unique paintings of Earth to bring home.
Information: 518.828.5887;
http://hudsonarealibrary.org

Learn to Become a Citizen
Scientist
Willows at Brandow Point, 480 NYS Route
385, Athens, NY 12015
7-9 p.m.: Riverkeeper is recruiting citizen
scientists to assist with an expansion of its
Catskill Creek water quality monitoring
project. Citizen Science provides fascinating
and fun opportunities for volunteers with a
passion for the outdoors. Come ﬁnd out what
it’s all about. Information: 518.731.5544;
http://www.riverkeeper.org/news-events/
events/other-events/learn-to-become-acitizen-scientist

Wednesday, April 23
Spring Birding at RamsHornLivingston Sanctuary
DuBois Road, Catskill, NY 12414
7:30 a.m.: Audubon New York and Scenic
Hudson join forces once again to oﬀer a
Spring Migration Birding Series on Wednesday
mornings, concluding on Wednesday May 21st.
These walks will focus on learning birding skills

Columbia-Greene Media
– bird identiﬁcation by sight and sound. Join
Audubon New York’s Education Coordinator
Larry Federman and Scenic Hudson educators
on these early morning birding walks. The
walks will be approximately two hours in
duration. After each walk, enjoy snacks, and
natural history discussion at the observation
tower. Birding walks will occur rain or shine.
Please wear sturdy shoes and weatherappropriate clothing. Tick precautions, such as
tucking pant legs into socks and applying bug
repellent to shoes and pants, are recommended.
Tickets: $5/hike Information: 518.678.3248;
lfederman@audubon.org

healing practice is used in the Bon tradition
to heal our mind, balance and strengthen our
energy, and help us reconnect with our inherent
potential of healing others and ourselves.
Tempa Lama will also introduce the Humla
Medical Service Trip that he will guide this
Fall to Humla, Nepal, a remote Himalayan
region of incredible natural beauty and rich
cultural diversity. Donations gratefully accepted
to support the Humla Medical Service trip.
Information: 518.392.3693;
http://spencertownacademy.org

The Chatham Bookstore, 27 Main St.,
Chatham, NY 12037
7-9 p.m.: This is the 3rd annual celebration of
poetry in many languages! It seems our area is
rich in other languages – we’ve heard poems
recited in Dutch, Danish, Spanish, Old English,
German, Greek, Swedish, Irish, Pali, French,
Hungarian, Belgian. Bring one to share, or
enjoy listening. Refreshments will be served.
Free. Information: 518.392.3005;
http://chathambookstore.com/events

Thurs.-Sun., April 24-27

Guitarist Hiroya Tsukamoto

Music & Movement Wednesdays

Film: The Missing Picture
Time and Space Limited, 434 Columbia St.,
Hudson, NY 12534
Thurs.-Sat., 6 p.m.; Sun., 1 p.m.: The
movie recounts Director Rithy Panh’s
ﬁrsthand experience of how his family and
friends suﬀered at the hands of the Pol Pot’s
communist regime. It tells of how citizens were
rounded up and taken to labor camps and how
personal eﬀects were destroyed. Since most of
the existing recorded artifacts of that time are
propaganda footage, Panh utilizes beautifullysculpted clay ﬁgurines and elaborately detailed
dioramas to recreate the missing images from
his memory. Tickets: $8; $6 members|students
Information: http://timeandspace.org

Fri. & Sat., April 25 & 26
ECLIPSE
Basilica Hudson, 110 South Front St., Hudson,
NY 12534
8-11 p.m.: A collaboration between
choreographer Jonah Bokaer and visual
artist Anthony McCall, ECLIPSE is a
multidisciplinary performance that integrates
choreography, light, visual design, and an audiovisual time score to arrive at altered ways of
viewing a performance. The piece features four
dancers and Bokaer, dancing at the center of a
site-speciﬁc, freestanding seating conﬁguration.
Viewers will be invited to circumnavigate the
piece, experiencing the dancers and McCall’s
spare, sculptural set from all sides. The
company will be in residence at Basilica the
week preceding the performances, and further
related events will be announced. Tickets: $20
Information: 518.822.1050;
http://basilicahudson.com

Destination
continued from page 27 i

Saturday, April 26
Poetry Recitation Contest
Hudson Area Library, 400 State St., Hudson,
NY 12534
1 p.m.: Local author Rebecca Wolﬀ judges
the contest, open to children ages 6-12. Prizes
awarded based on presence, clarity, drama,
understanding and accuracy. Participants are
expected to rehearse and prepare a poem
of their own choosing. The reading must be
between 90 seconds and three minutes. Wolf
is a published poet and editor of “Fence”
magazine and Fence Books.
Information: 518.828.5887;
http://hudsonarealibrary.org

Songs for Unusual Creatures
Hudson Opera House, 327 Warren St.,
Hudson, NY 12534
2 p.m. & 7 p.m.: Quirky author and composer
Michael Hearst, along with his ﬁve-piece band,
presents Songs for Unusual Creatures: a highlygeeky A/V presentation of some of the most
bizarre animals that roam the planet. From the
Australian bilby to the deep-sea magnapinna
squid, to the microscopic tarde, the creatures
are brought to life with such odd-ball
instruments as theremin, claviola, daxophone,
and stylophone.
Tickets: $18; $15 members; $10 kids
Information: 518.822.1438;
www.hudsonoperahouse.org;
http://michaelhearst.com

Our Town Talks:
Martina Arfwidson,
FACE Stockholm
Germantown Library, Hover Room, 31
Palatine Park Rd., Germantown, NY 12526
3:30 p.m.: As part of the library’s ongoing
“Our Town Talks” series, FACE Stockholm’s
President, and area resident, Martina
Arfwidson will visit to talk about her
experiences as a woman in business, how she
handles balancing motherhood and being the
head of an internationally-successful cosmetics
company, what it’s like to work in partnership
with her mother, Gun Nowak, her thoughts on
creativity and more! Registration suggested.
Information: 518.537.5800;
http://germantownlibrary.org

Eric G. Müller and Mather Zanoni
Müller: Drops on Water: Stories
About Growing Up from a Father
and Son
The Chatham Bookstore, 27 Main St.,
Chatham, NY 12037
5 p.m.: Recounting experiences of a father

Hudson

Spring 2014

and son in brief chapters that move between
Germany and America, the East and West
coast, and the African continent, the anxieties
of early love and rural small town life are
balanced against changes seen in a family across
generations. Discussion moderated by Thomas
Chulak. Q&A follows. Free.
Information: 518.392.3005;
http://chathambookstore.com/events

ZviDance Company
Orpheum Film & Performing Arts Ctr, 6050
Main St., Village of Tannersville, NY 12485
7:30 p.m.: A world-class dance company,
ZviDance exists to share with audiences the
choreographic vision and movement vocabulary
of Israeli-born Artistic Director Zvi Gotheiner.
Each piece deﬁnes a unique set of relationships
and experiences, boldly addressing the depths of
the human experience. Zvi Dance will perform
Dabke, a piece based on a Middle Eastern folk
dance, a line dance often performed at weddings,
holidays and community celebrations. The
dancers, linked by hands or shoulders stomp
the ground with complex rhythms, emphasizing
their connection to the land.
Tickets: Advance, $25; $20 seniors; $7
students; Door, $30 | $25 | $7
Information: 518.263.2000;
http://www.catskillmtn.org

for a leisurely hike at High Falls Conservation Area. Enjoy the lush waterfall and spring
wildﬂowers at the site.
Information: http://clctrust.org

May
Thurs.-Sat., May 1-3

Film: Finding Vivian Maier
Time and Space Limited, 434 Columbia St.,
Hudson, NY 12534
6 p.m.: Directed by John Maloof and Charlie
Siskel, this intriguing documentary shuttles
from New York to France to Chicago as it
traces the life of the late Vivian Maier, a career
nanny whose previously unknown cache
of 100,000 photographs has earned her a
posthumous reputation as one of America’s
most accomplished and insightful street
photographers.
Tickets: $8; $6 members & students
Information: http://timeandspace.org

Saturday, May 3
Annual Youth Fishing Derby
Schor Conservation Area, Pavilion, 58
Shoreview Dr., Canaan, NY 12029
8 a.m.: A family favorite encouraging young
anglers to hone their skills from the shores
of beautiful Jon’s Pond. All participants will
receive a prize, and the ﬁshing derby winners
will be awarded a grand prize. Food and
refreshments will also be provided. Please,
bring your own ﬁshing supplies.
Info: http://clctrust.org/events

Clean Sweep Day
Catskill Village Hall, Catskill, NY 12414
8:30 a.m.-1 p.m.: Help clean up Main Street,
W. Bridge Street and Dutchman’s Landing.
Work with the Garden Club and Cultivate
Catskill to clean out winter debris and plant
spring plants in Catskill’s pocket parks. Plus,
Cultivate Catskill brings back its seasonal
“Trunk Sales” at the Greene County parking
lot between Hill and Water streets. Beneﬁts the
American in Bloom program.
Info: 518.943.7117;
nrichards@villageofcatskill.net

29

Columbia-Greene Media

Coxsackie Earth Day
Gospel Community Church, 121 Mansion St.,
Coxsackie, NY 12051
8:30 a.m.: Help clean local parks and roadways
in celebration of Earth Day. Sign in and
breakfast start at 8:30 a.m., clean up starts
at 9:15 a.m. Bring gloves, rakes, brooms and
pruning shears, and be sure to wear appropriate
foot wear. A free pizza lunch will available to all
participants. Rain date, Saturday, May 10.
Information: 518.478.5414; jhaasrph@aol.com

I Love My Park Day
Clermont State Historic Site, Clermont Ave.,
Germantown, NY 12526
10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Show your love and volunteer
for a community project on the grounds of
Clermont. Check website for details.
Info: http://www.friendsofclermont.org

Solving the Problem of Invasive
Species, Part II
Greenport Conservation Area, Joslen Blvd.,
Greenport, NY 12526
10 a.m.: This hands-on workshop puts into
practice what participants learned about
invasives on April 17th from Jessica Toro,
co-owner of Native Habitat Restoration, LLC.
You are invited to attend even if you did not
attend her presentation. Jessica will show us
how to identify invasive species in the ﬁeld and
demonstrate techniques for removal. Please
dress appropriately, and bring work gloves, if
you have them. Registration required.
Information: http://clctrust.org/events

Ramp Fest 2014
Basilica Hudson, 110 S. Front St., Hudson,
NY 12534
noon-4 p.m.: Abundant in the Hudson Valley,
the ramp will be at the center of original dishes
created by chefs from upstate New York and
the big city. Indulge in their pungent and
therapeutic pleasure! Plus, drinks and live
music. Tickets: $30 advance; $35, door;

Sixth Annual Hudson Children’s Book Festival
Hudson Junior and Senior High Schools, 215 Harry Howard Ave., Hudson, NY 12534
Saturday, May 3, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.: Annual event that has become the largest book festival in
New York State. The festival will feature many well-known and award-winning children’s book
authors and illustrators. This year’s live performances include Aaron Nigel Smith, founder of
FUNdamentals of Music and Movement and winner of parenting awards for his CDs, and John
Farrell, award-winning author, songwriter, storyteller and peace educator. Admission and events are
all free of charge. Information: 518.828.4360; http://hudsonchildrensbookfestival.com
Above: a sampling of just some of the titles and authors that will be represented at this year’s festival.

Aaron Nigel Smith
Instrument Making Class
Hudson Opera House, 327 Warren St.,
Hudson, NY 12534
10 a.m.-noon: The celebrated musician Aaron
Nigel Smith returns to Hudson for the Hudson
City School District Children’s Book Festival
on May 3 (the largest book festival in New York
State!). He joins the Hudson Opera House the
next day to oﬀer a special instrument-making
workshop. Tickets: Free, registration required.
Information: http://hudsonoperahouse.org

continued on page 32 g

Destination

Hudson

Spring 2014

Come see us at any of our FIVE local stores ~ We welcome your business!
HUDSON 9528) 828-3361 ~ NASSAU (518) 766-4994
NEW LEBANON (518) 794-8700 ~ VALATIE (518) 758-9484

30

Columbia-Greene Media

31

Growing in the
Schoharie Valley
for 125 years!

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